Not To Loose Heart

Luke 18: 1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

(Observation) The widow is granted her request because of her persistence.  The Lord’s explanation of the parable includes present advice and the promise of future justice. The parable ends with an unexplained question.

(Interpretation) I suggest to you that the ending question in the passage asks the reader to consider what the spiritual condition of those on earth will be when Jesus returns. It seems to me that if the events of 1 Thessalonians below (the rapture) occur prior to the great tribulation and the millennial reign of Jesus on earth, then there would be no believers left on earth when He comes, for they would have already been “caught up … to meet the Lord in the air.” If so, then the faith found by the Lord on earth would be in those who come to believe in Him during the tribulation and His millennial reign. As I consider that ending question together with the events in the world today, I am further convicted of the truth of the our Lord’s words in Matthew 7: 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. So, I do not know the answer to the question, but one could say that it implies that the spiritual condition of mankind is dire.

(Cross-reference) 1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Revelation7: 13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 22:  12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.

1 Thessalonians 5: 18 pray without ceasing;

James 5: 16…The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

(Application) I am to respond to the chaos of this world with prayer.

What do you think? Do you loose heart in the midst of an ungodly and chaotic world or do you purpose to “pray” as you “ought?”